Page 17 of The Orc Chief’s Baker (Orc Mates Of Faeda #4)

Chapter

Eleven

TRINIA

T hree trades later, Trinia had given up waiting for Brovdir to come back.

She pounded the dough on her counter with a kind of fever that could only be brought on from bone-deep embarrassment and suppressed disappointment. Her chest tightened more and more with each passing day and her patience for dealing with customers had dwindled to the size of a pinprick.

But she couldn’t help it, her mind simply refused to relent.

Where had she gone wrong with him?

He’d liked her, right? He’d seemed delighted when she’d kissed him...

And now he was just... gone. The other warriors came to the trades, but Brovdir never did.

On a heavy sigh, she bowed her head and looked over the mangled lump of beige dough on her counter. The indents were slowly smoothing out as the yeast resisted her pummeling. She wished she could bounce back from embarrassment just as easily.

Now he was the new chief of Rove Wood Clan, and he avoided her like she had the blight.

The door to the bakery banged open.

Yerina stood in the dim light of it.

Trinia wanted to groan as the driving urge to hurl the dough at her sister’s head overwhelmed her. “What do you want?”

“You aren’t seriously still moping, are you?” Yerina flicked her hair back and neglected to close the door behind her as she walked inside.

“If anyone should be accused of moping around, it’s you ,” Trinia said with too much force. She was still shocked Yerina hadn’t gone insane trying to snatch Govek away from his new mate.

Her sister smirked. “ I don’t have to mope about anything. I don’t need to win Govek back. Who would want him, anyway? Since he’s fallen in with that strange woman, who’s supposedly from another world, he’s been a complete disaster. No hunting, no craftwork, refusing to become chief even.”

Trinia kept quiet. The rumors surrounding Govek were rampant and no one from Rove Wood Clan would speak on it. Not even her friend Savili had been willing to pass on information.

But one thing was certain, the surly orc who’d once been regarded as dangerous was happy . And the new woman, Miranda, made him that way. No matter the circumstances of how she had come here or how they had found each other, Trinia couldn’t see how Govek being calm and content was a bad thing.

“I have other, much more powerful orcs, who have their eyes set on me,” Yerina continued.

“Orc eyes who can’t even see you? You’ve been banned from the trade, remember?” Trinia continued to punch her dough on the counter.

She could feel Yerina’s scowl burning the back of her neck.

“The trade isn’t the only place you can meet an orc, you know.

Though I suppose you wouldn’t , would you?

You’ve never been invited by any orcs anywhere.

In fact, Brovdir has been skipping the trade just to avoid you.

Even though he is the new second-in-command. ”

“Co-chief,” Trinia corrected Yerina even as her chest stung from the harsh truth of her words.

Her sister rolled her eyes. “Some co-chief. Poor Chief Sythcol has been doing all the work. Not that he needs help. That conjurer is the most powerful male in the clan now. They are all under his command.”

The look in Yerina’s eyes made Trinia’s skin feel tight. “Yerina, don’t you dare.”

Yerina snorted. “We’re not talking about me right now, dear sister. We’re talking about you and how you have completely run out of options except to live as a spinster for the rest of your life.”

Trinia clenched her teeth together. Better a spinster than a manipulative bitch.

“Now, with that said, I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise for me?” Trinia snorted and continued to knead, imagining it was her sister’s face she was squishing.

“You need to come now if you want it.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Trinia.”

“Yerina, it’s nearly time for bed .” Though Trinia wouldn’t sleep for a long while yet. She had too much work to do. “Can’t this surprise of yours wait until morning?”

“No. It can’t. You need to come now . And take off that disgusting apron.”

An unusual amount of rage bubbled up in Trinia’s throat and she shot Yerina the kind of look that made her sister’s eyes widen. “I am not in the mood for this, Yerina.”

There was a tense silence in which Trinia thought she could smell her sister’s mind smoking. Or perhaps that was just the bread burning in the oven. Trinia went and took the slightly too dark rolls out and slid them onto a cooling rack.

“Trinia, I know things have been hard.”

Trinia’s back straightened, and she whipped around to find her sister looking earnest .

Yerina met her eyes. “I know I haven’t been the easiest. But... this is important. Will you come with me? Please .”

Fades, had her sister ever said please to her in a tone that wasn’t sarcastic or demeaning? Trinia couldn’t recall.

She knew her sister was trying to manipulate her.

She knew that. But curiosity bubbled up within her and despite the warning blaring in her mind, Trinia couldn’t fight the bone deep jittering to discover what exactly it was her sister had cooked up.

She certainly wasn’t going to drop her guard, not at all, but. ..

“All right.” Trinia undid the tie of her apron. “Do I have time to freshen up?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Yerina said with a hard exhale that took quite a bit of tension with it. Trinia was surprised that her sister was this tense over something and her curiosity doubled.

Trinia hung the apron and turned to face her sister. Yerina’s nose wrinkled. She looked down at Trinia’s dress with disgust and Trinia couldn’t even blame her.

She hadn’t bothered to change it since yesterday.

She’d even slept in it. Her hair was coated with flour, her skin felt sticky, and her sister insisted that all she had time for was a quick wash of her hands and face before they headed out into the chilly evening.

They walked toward their home near the far east of the village.

Oakwall was rather pretty at this time. The sun had nearly set and only a smear of orange remained behind the tree line.

Winter had fallen steadily, but they’d only suffered one major snowstorm so far.

The paths had been shoveled clear and fluffy white heaps lined them.

Many bore the signs of children playing: footprints, snow balls, tiny snowmen.

The house windows glowed merrily, revealing residents whom she recognized, settling in and readying for bed.

She glanced through one large window into the living room of Kavin and his family.

His three children were all bundled up in blankets, listening to him tell a tale.

His wife sat on the couch next to him, looking drowsy and content.

Trinia wondered what that would have been like. To have a family that actually cared for each other instead of a louse for a father and a selfish twat for a sister.

She followed Yerina closely all the way to their cabin. The log structure had been built by their great-grandfather, and from looking at it, one might assume that had been the last time anyone had bothered taking care of it.

It was a single-story home with two bedrooms and no bathroom. They used an outhouse accessible from the back door.

As they got close, her fingers itched to sketch.

To plan. She’d spent many late nights outlining a way to split the house down the middle.

Create a wall that would make the single dwelling into two spaces.

One for her, the other for Yerina. So, they would each have a place to live, but would never have to see or speak to each other.

That was before her father had died and his will had been read. Back when Trinia had assumed she’d get half the house and not just half of the bakery.

Trinia looked at the outside of the tiny, bedraggled cabin and found that the two windows that had once had cracks were mended . “Who fixed those?”

“Rori. Who else?”

“Rori doesn’t fix glass for free. What did you trade for it?” Trinia’s mind flitted over which pans Rori might have taken in exchange.

Perhaps she could try to get them back. Rori did like sourdough...

“I gave him father’s old hand wagon.”

“You did... he wanted that old thing? It was half rotten.”

“It’s better than none at all,” Yerina said with a sly smile.

“But why would he want one? He carries all his tools on his belt.”

Yerina rose her brows. “Because he wants to leave , of course.”

Trinia swallowed hard. “You’re not serious.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Plenty of folks are talking about leaving since the warrior orcs started to settle here.”

Trinia’s chest felt tight. “But it’s only rumors that the warlord’s warriors are going to come settle in these woods. And Rori is so practical. It’s not like him to be pulled along.”

“Guess you’ve had your nose so deep in the flour you hadn’t heard,” Yerina said with a scoff. “It’s not rumors anymore. Headman Gerald confirmed that more are going to come back to stay.”

“What? When?”

“Come inside and I’ll tell you,” Yerina said, and Trinia followed somewhat helplessly. They walked up the three narrow steps, which had also been mended, to the front door, which no longer squeaked, and Yerina made room for Trinia to walk past.

Inside, the house was clean . So clean. Cleaner than Trinia could ever remember it being, even before her mother had passed away.

The floor was shining in the firelight. The hearth had been swept out and crackled brightly.

The stonework around it had been patched.

The cabinets in the kitchen had been fixed up and painted.

Trinia didn’t have time to marvel because one look toward the kitchen table revealed they were not alone.

Ronhold and Tobbis were here.

The door clacked shut behind Yerina and Trinia’s back straightened as she recalled the insults the obnoxious young adult had thrown her way. He looked just as filthy as he had the day of the trade a moon and a half ago, but honestly, she wasn’t much better, with flour and grime stuck to her dress.